§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the total cost of keeping homeless people and families in hotel accommodation in Wales.
§ Mr. GristOn the basis of the latest information available from local authority revenue outturn returns, gross current expenditure on bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless persons in 1987–88 was £280,000 of which £170,000 was met by local authorities and the remainder from local sources (mainly fees and charges).
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many homeless families there were in Wales in the last year; how many were housed in temporary accommodation; and how many were housed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
§ Mr. GristDuring the period 1 July 1988 and 30 June 1989 a total of 7,730 households were accepted as homeless by local authorities in Wales; 793 households were housed in temporary accommodation. At 30 June 1989, a total of 145 of these were in bed and breakfast accommodation.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many young people in Wales under the age of 25 are 459W currently homeless; what proportion this is of the under-25 population; and if he will instigate a survey into the causes of homelessness among young people in Wales.
§ Mr. GristThis information is not collected centrally. The Department's contacts with organisations concerned with homelessness do not suggest that the causes of homelessness amongst the under-25s are very different from those for the population as a whole.